Corporate Lifestyle Simulator
- March 12, 2014
- Dolphin Barn
- 2h median play time
Corporate Lifestyle Simulator is an isometric action game with pixel art graphics and chiptunes music. Players must battle through corporate architecture and fight against buzzword-spewing middle managers using office supplies as weapons. The game encourages players to rebel against tyranny and liberate their coworkers from oppressive forces. Overall, it's a destructive and cathartic experience that lets players take out their frustrations on the corporate world.
Reviews
- The game features a fantastic soundtrack that many players find enjoyable and worth the price alone.
- Gameplay is simple yet satisfying, allowing players to destroy office environments and defeat zombies with a variety of weapons.
- The humor and satirical take on corporate life resonate well with players, making it a fun and entertaining experience.
- The game suffers from repetitive gameplay and lacks depth, with many weapons feeling similar and the AI being underwhelming.
- Technical issues such as bugs, crashes, and poor voice acting detract from the overall experience.
- The game is short, with many players feeling it doesn't offer enough content for the price, especially at full price.
- music218 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many players praising the soundtrack as one of the best they've ever heard. It is described as energetic, fitting perfectly with the gameplay, and often cited as the primary reason for purchasing the game. Overall, the soundtrack significantly enhances the gaming experience, making it a standout feature that many players recommend purchasing alongside the game itself.
“The soundtrack alone is worth the price!”
“This game has the best music.”
“The one redeeming factor of this game is its soundtrack, one of the best I've ever heard.”
“The game starts up invisible; I can hear music but there is nothing at all on the screen.”
“The music suits the game and the art style is okay but not great.”
“I enjoyed it a fair amount but the $/hours ratio (5:2) struggles a bit compared to some titles if you aren't picking up the soundtrack.”
- humor126 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it genuinely funny and entertaining, particularly in the cutscenes and character dialogues, while others criticize it as juvenile or poorly delivered. Many appreciate the witty one-liners and the light-hearted satire of corporate life, though some feel that the humor often falls flat or relies on cringe-worthy jokes. Overall, the game offers a blend of amusing moments and hit-or-miss comedic elements that may appeal to a niche audience.
“The office setting, soundtrack, and humor of this game are really enjoyable for the 2 hours the game lasts.”
“The main character is a meme-spouting man with interest in a girl he saved, yet he is realistically awkward and flubs his memes enough that the humor comes through strong.”
“This game is hilarious and just a fun game to play alone and have a great time.”
“Humor varies from staggeringly unfunny and cringe in the cutscenes (which aren't even 'ironically' bad, the dev just simply can't write humor in the context of dialogue for some reason), to some genuinely clever jokes in the game itself.”
- gameplay80 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simple, repetitive mechanics and a focus on zombie combat, utilizing a variety of weapons and destructible environments. While the controls are smooth and responsive, and the humor and soundtrack enhance the experience, many players find the gameplay lacks depth and becomes monotonous over time. Overall, it offers enjoyable, lighthearted action but may require players to seek additional challenges to maintain engagement.
“If the controls or presentation were lacking in any significant way that simple premise wouldn't hold up, but the gameplay itself is phenomenally smooth, responsive, and satisfying.”
“The gameplay just feels oddly satisfying and amazing; there are so many available options for how you want to kill the zombies, it's insane!”
“One of the biggest surprises I ever experienced on Steam, extremely entertaining in every possible way, one of the best soundtracks I ever heard, simple yet satisfying gameplay, smash all the zombies, destroy everything, cool boss fights, and cheesy, very funny, self-aware cutscenes.”
“Far from riveting gameplay.”
“The gameplay is the same for each level with a few levels having slight variations like don't smash too much stuff or extinguish some fires: kill zombies (apart from one level and a few bosses), and sometimes reach the exit.”
“Throughout the 27 levels, which include boss fights, the gameplay stays the same: hold left-mouse button to win.”
- story50 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is a humorous and satirical take on the corporate world, featuring a short narrative that lasts about two hours and includes 27 levels with boss fights. While some players found the humor and creativity enjoyable, others criticized the delivery and overall execution of the storyline, describing it as lacking depth and replayability. Overall, the story is seen as a lighthearted addition to the gameplay, appealing to those who prefer a simple, fun experience over a complex narrative.
“The story is probably the best part about it as it is quite funny and is a really good satire of the corporate world.”
“Amazing story 10/10.”
“What ensues is a very simple isometric shoot-em-beat-em-up, with a very funny storyline.”
“I tried very hard to get into the storyline; I came to a point where I gave up and just spam-clicked through the cutscenes.”
“First off, the main menu looks like something out of a bad flash game. It defaults to windowed mode (and crashes when going to fullscreen). The humor is poorly delivered, the voice acting is... okay but way too quiet compared to all the rest of the sounds. Some of the weapons are near impossible to use (main example being the chainsaw), and I feel the story was poorly thought out.”
“The only thing I disliked about this game was the storyline and dialogue.”
- graphics48 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are primarily characterized by a nostalgic 8-bit pixel art style that resonates well with its humorous and violent themes, effectively capturing the absurdity of corporate life. While some players appreciate the simplicity and charm of the graphics, others criticize technical issues and visibility problems during gameplay. Overall, the graphics are seen as fitting for the game's concept, though there are calls for slight improvements and contemporary touches.
“Despite the simple graphics, the game depicts one of the most disturbingly realistic simulations of corporate life made so far.”
“The graphics are nostalgic, gameplay is fun, great music, and the jokes are great!”
“The art style is definitely the trendy indie-game 2D sprite variety, but it works here because the screen is usually full of enemies.”
“Bought this sack of digital garbage during the winter sale, booted it up yesterday and found out that none of the graphics load.”
“Graphics = straight 8-bit (wish they added a bit of contemporary graphics here)”
“Don't be fooled by the corny graphics.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the option to select levels for quick sessions and enjoy the endless mode, many feel that the missions are too short and lack significant replay value, making it not worth the full price. The consensus suggests that it may be more enjoyable at a lower cost.
“Replayable = definitely, it's a fun game.”
“A bit expensive for what it offers, but it has good replayability with the endless mode.”
“Doesn't look like a lot of replay value out of this game, not worth paying full price for.”
“Its replayability lies in the fact that you can just select a level, and have a short mayhem session whenever you please.”
“A quick game with not much replay value but worth the 5 bucks it costs.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be quite unstable, with numerous bugs affecting gameplay, and it has not received updates since 2014, contributing to ongoing issues with its AI and overall performance.
“Really buggy and hasn't been updated since 2014.”
“It's a little buggy in parts sometimes, not going to lie.”
“- buggy AI”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received outstanding praise, with multiple users giving it a perfect score of 10/10, indicating a highly satisfactory performance experience.
“10/10, would performance review again.”
“10/10, would performance review again.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a sense of hope for the video game industry, emphasizing the potential for creating emotionally resonant experiences through ironic and over-the-top narratives, complemented by engaging music. This blend of humor and emotional depth resonates with players seeking unique and wholesome escapism.
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be engaging and rewarding, often comparing it favorably to other farming simulators. The repetitive tasks are seen as integral to the gameplay experience, enhancing immersion and satisfaction.